Author: Kristín Edda Gylfadóttir

Course

Food handling for kitchen and canteen staff

Contact

Óli Þór Hilmarsson

Project Manager

oli.th.hilmarsson@matis.is

Matís offers courses on food handling, hygiene, main risks and food safety, which are specifically aimed at staff in canteens, kitchens and restaurants. The purpose of the courses is to ensure that the knowledge and understanding of those who handle food on food safety and hygiene is good, in order to minimize the risk of harmful infections reaching food and thereby threatening the health and safety of consumers. The curriculum is recognized by the Swedish Food Agency. The course will be offered both as an on-site course and as an online course.

Matís and its experts are the sponsors of this project, but the study material is recognized by the Swedish Food Agency. The educational material is prepared from various data such as the laws and regulations that deal with food, from previous research and the study and presentation material that has been prepared by Matís and Matvælastofnun.

It is estimated that two to three lessons (3×45 min) will take the student to read over and absorb what is presented and to take an exam at the end of the course. If the participant has passed the test, a certificate, known as a food safety certificate, is issued. The certificate is a confirmation that the participant has acquired sound knowledge as a result of working with food handling according to the requirements of the regulations that canteens and restaurants must comply with. 80% correct answer is required and it is possible to repeat the test twice.

The following episodes are played:

1 Food Safety

According to the World Health Organization, about 240,000 people die each year from foodborne illnesses or food poisoning, and one third are children under the age of five. It can therefore be said that food safety is dead serious. This section reviews the main hazards in food and their possible origins. Special emphasis is placed on pathogenic microorganisms, which are the main ones and how they get into food. It is also discussed how they manage to multiply and what are the main consequences if they manage to infect consumers.

It discusses the dangers associated with food and goes over the categories (physical, chemical and biological dangers, where it is discussed what kind of dangers there are and where they might be). It also discusses how to prevent the dangers from entering food and consumers. The handling and storage of food is reviewed, and cleaning and handling of food is also discussed. Finally, the necessity of registrations is reviewed.

2 Food handling and storage

This section discusses how to protect food from external contamination. It also covers the importance of the right temperature when cooking, serving, cooling and storing food.

3 Cleanliness

Review the importance of cleaning and disinfecting the environment and utensils used in food preparation, and special emphasis is placed on the hygiene and health of those who handle exposed food.

4 Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)

Food regulations stipulate that all food handling and processing must be based on the HACCP philosophy. It goes over what it means and what requirements are made to different companies and institutions.

5 Allergens

Certain foods and ingredients can trigger strong allergic reactions in certain individuals. It discusses what foods and ingredients they are and what requirements are placed on those who offer foods that contain such ingredients.

Course information (pdf)

The price of a webinar is 22 thousand ISK. Dates will be announced later.

Further information is provided by Óli Þór Hilmarsson, olithor@matis.is.

News

Course on food handling for canteen and kitchen staff

Contact

Óli Þór Hilmarsson

Project Manager

oli.th.hilmarsson@matis.is

Matís offers courses on food handling, hygiene, main risks and food safety, which are specifically aimed at staff in canteens, kitchens and restaurants. The purpose of the courses is to ensure that the knowledge and understanding of those who handle food on food safety and hygiene is good, in order to minimize the risk of harmful infections reaching food and thereby threatening the health and safety of consumers. The curriculum is recognized by the Swedish Food Agency. The course will be offered both as an on-site course and as an online course.

Matís and its experts are the sponsors of this project, but the study material is recognized by the Swedish Food Agency. The educational material is prepared from various data such as the laws and regulations that deal with food, from previous research and the study and presentation material that has been prepared by Matís and Matvælastofnun.

It is estimated that two to three lessons (3×45 min) will take the student to read over and absorb what is presented and to take an exam at the end of the course. If the participant has passed the test, a certificate, known as a food safety certificate, is issued. The certificate is a confirmation that the participant has acquired solid knowledge as a result of working with food handling according to the requirements of the regulations that canteens and restaurants must comply with. The 80% correct answer is required and it is possible to repeat the test twice.

The following episodes are played:

1 Food Safety

According to the World Health Organization, about 240,000 people die each year from foodborne illnesses or food poisoning, and one third are children under the age of five. It can therefore be said that food safety is dead serious. This section reviews the main hazards in food and their possible origins. Special emphasis is placed on pathogenic microorganisms, which are the main ones and how they get into food. It is also discussed how they manage to multiply and what are the main consequences if they manage to infect consumers.

It discusses the dangers associated with food and goes over the categories (physical, chemical and biological dangers, where it is discussed what kind of dangers there are and where they might be). It also discusses how to prevent the dangers from entering food and consumers. The handling and storage of food is reviewed, and cleaning and handling of food is also discussed. Finally, the necessity of registrations is reviewed.

2 Food handling and storage

This section discusses how to protect food from external contamination. It also covers the importance of the right temperature when cooking, serving, cooling and storing food.

3 Cleanliness

Review the importance of cleaning and disinfecting the environment and utensils used in food preparation, and special emphasis is placed on the hygiene and health of those who handle exposed food.

4 Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)

Food regulations stipulate that all food handling and processing must be based on the HACCP philosophy. It goes over what it means and what requirements are made to different companies and institutions.

5 Allergens

Certain foods and ingredients can trigger strong allergic reactions in certain individuals. It discusses what foods and ingredients they are and what requirements are placed on those who offer foods that contain such ingredients.

Course information (PDF)

The price of a webinar is 22 thousand ISK. Dates will be announced later.

Further information is provided by Óli Þór Hilmarsson, olithor@matis.is.

Peer-reviewed articles

Environmental impacts of different single-use and multi-use packaging systems for fresh fish export

Contact

Guðrún Svana Hilmarsdóttir

Specialist

gudrun.svana@matis.is

The production and pollution of plastic present a significant threat to global ecosystems, where annual plastic emissions in aquatic ecosystems are projected to triple between 2020 and 2030. Currently, plastics are widely used for food packaging but depending on the polymers, properties, the recyclability ratio of the plastics varies. Polymers, such as polyethylene (PE), polyurethane (PUR), and expanded polystyrene (EPS), are widely used for packaging and transporting foods such as fresh fish, where multi-use fish tubs often consist of PE and/or PUR and single-use boxes of EPS. This study evaluated the environmental impacts of reusable tubs of different volumes and sizes made of PE/PUR vs single-use EPS boxes, transporting 1000 tons (T) of fresh fish from Iceland to Europe, per year based on life cycle assessment methodology. This is to identify the packaging solution with the lowest environmental impact. The overall results show that multi-use tubs had lower environmental impacts when transporting 1000 T of fresh fish from Iceland to Europe per year, even during the first year of use. For Global warming impacts, producing and using EPS boxes for transporting 1000 T of fresh fish was 141 T CO2-eq and ranged from 4 to 46 T CO2-eq for varying multi-use packaging solutions for one year. The weight of the raw materials (plastics) and size of the tubs were key factors affecting the environmental impacts when transporting the tubs.

Peer-reviewed articles

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Chemometrics for Effective Online Quality Monitoring and Process Control during Pelagic Fishmeal and Oil Processing

Contact

María Guðjónsdóttir

Project Manager

mariag@matis.is

Near-infrared spectroscopy has become a common quality assessment tool for fishmeal products during the last two decades. However, to date it has not been used for active online quality monitoring during fishmeal processing. Our aim was to investigate whether NIR spectroscopy, in combination with multivariate chemometrics, could actively predict the changes in the main chemical quality parameters of pelagic fishmeal and oil during processing, with an emphasis on lipid quality changes. Results indicated that partial least square regression (PLSR) models from the NIR data effectively predicted proximate composition changes during processing (with coefficients of determination of an independent test set at 𝑅2𝐶𝑉RCV2 = 0.9938, RMSECV = 2.41 for water; 𝑅2𝐶𝑉RCV2 = 0.9773, RMSECV = 3.94 for lipids; 𝑅2𝐶𝑉RCV2 = 0.9356, RMSECV = 5.58 for FFDM) and were successful in distinguishing between fatty acids according to their level of saturation (SFA (𝑅2𝐶𝑉=0.9928, 𝑅𝑀𝑆𝐸𝐶𝑉=0.24) RCV2=0.9928, RMSECV=0.24), MUFA (𝑅2𝐶𝑉=0.8291, 𝑅𝑀𝑆𝐸𝐶𝑉=1.49)RCV2=0.8291, RMSECV=1.49), PUFA (𝑅2𝐶𝑉=0.8588, 𝑅𝑀𝑆𝐸𝐶𝑉=2.11)RCV2=0.8291, RMSECV=1.49). This technique also allowed the prediction of phospholipids (PL 𝑅2𝐶𝑉=0.8617, 𝑅𝑀𝑆𝐸𝐶𝑉=0.11RCV2=0.8617, RMSECV=0.11, and DHA(𝑅2𝐶𝑉=0.8785, 𝑅𝑀𝑆𝐸𝐶𝑉=0.89) RCV2=0.8785, RMSECV=0.89) and EPA content 𝑅2𝐶𝑉=0.8689, 𝑅𝑀𝑆𝐸𝐶𝑉=0.62)RCV2=0.8689, RMSECV=0.62) throughout processing. NIR spectroscopy in combination with chemometrics is, thus, a powerful quality assessment tool that can be applied for active online quality monitoring and processing control during fishmeal and oil processing.

News

Matís is looking for an ambitious specialist in food microbiology

Contact

Sæmundur Sveinsson

Research Group Leader

saemundurs@matis.is

Matís is a leader in the field of food research and biotechnology. At Matís, there is a strong group of around 100 employees who are passionate about finding new ways to maximize the use of raw materials, increase sustainability and promote public health. Matís' role is to strengthen the competitiveness of Icelandic products and business life and to ensure food safety, public health and sustainable use of the environment through research, innovation and services.

Main tasks and responsibilities

  • General microbiological research using professional methods
  • Participation in skills tests in the field of food and medicine
  • Participation in internal control sample testing of various foodborne pathogens
  • Participation in projects that fall under the field's reference research
  • The structure of professional focus regarding service measurement in microbiology

Qualification requirements

  • Education in food science, biomedical science, biology or related subjects is a requirement
  • Experience with research and measurement is desirable
  • A positive attitude and agility in interpersonal communication are a requirement
  • Interoperability and flexibility
  • Independent and organized way of working
  • Initiative and professional ambition
  • Good general Icelandic and English skills, both spoken and written.
  • Good general computer skills

Employment rate is 100%. The person concerned will work at Matís' laboratory at Vínlandsleið 12, Reykjavík.

Applications must be accompanied by a detailed CV and cover letter.

All genders are encouraged to apply.

Information is provided by Sæmundur Sveinsson, professional manager of microbiological measurements and genetic analyses, saemundurs@matis.is, 422 5130.

Apply for a job

News

E. coli STEC in ground beef – Source of foodborne infection confirmed by whole-sequencing of Matís

Contact

Sæmundur Sveinsson

Research Group Leader

saemundurs@matis.is

Matís can identify whether E.coli STEC is in food products

Over the past two weeks, Matís' experts have been working hard to trace the source of the group infection E. coli STEC that appeared in a kindergarten in Reykjavík in mid-October. The study was carried out in close collaboration with the National Food Agency, the Epidemiologist, the Department of Pathology and Virology of Landspítál and the Reykjavík Health Authority.

A number of suspect foods were screened for
E. coli STEC but this bacterium can hide in many places. It soon became clear that mincemeat, which was used in cooking at the kindergarten, was by far the most likely source of the infection. A large number of bacterial strains were cultured from the mince, and finally three strains containing characteristic virulence genes and of the same serotype as the strain isolated from the patient were isolated. The genomes of these four strains were finally sequenced at Matís. That analysis revealed that the strains from the hack and the patient were genetically identical. Matís was a pioneer in the implementation of this methodology in Iceland to trace the origin of foodborne infections.

Finally, Matís would like to draw attention to the fact that the company offers analyzes of E. coli STEC in food. Matís is a reference laboratory (NRL) for these analyzes in Iceland. This means that Matís constantly updates his methods according to the latest knowledge and methods in Europe. E. coli STEC is a bacteria that can cause serious illness.

Press release MAST

Brain isolation of Listeria and other foodborne pathogens
Measurements of STEC in meat on the domestic market in terms of food safety

News

The importance of research infrastructure for the development of the bioeconomy

Contact

Katrín Hulda Gunnarsdóttir

Project Manager

katrinh@matis.is

On 5-6 In September, Matís and RISE from Sweden hosted a workshop on behalf of the European project BIO2REG. The workshop was called "BIO2REG expert workshop on research infrastructure and living labs" and discussed the connection of the bioeconomy with research infrastructure and "living labs". Experts in various fields of the bioeconomy were brought together and they learned about projects related to bioeconomy, the development of the last decades and the importance of green energy.

Day 1 was spent visiting. The day began in Brim, where visitors were introduced to the company's activities, but Iceland's bioeconomy is largely based on fishing. Next, we went to Vaxa Impact Nutrition in Hellisheidi and learned about their activities, where microalgae are produced in a unique way. The day ended at Matís' aquaculture research station, MARS, and their activities were presented. Day 2 took place at Matís headquarters. There were presentations from a number of speakers, including Matís, RISE, Orkídeu and Forschungszentrum Jülich. There was a lot of discussion and lively discussions took place.

Sven-Ole Meiske, Matís fish farm's test manager, presents the facility's activities to the visitors of the workshop
Katrín Hulda Gunnarsdóttir takes guests around Matís' premises
It was accompanied by a film team working on videos about the project. In the picture, they can be seen photographing Cecile Dargentolle, project manager at Matís, at her usual work
The guests of the workshop visited VAXA technologies

The workshop was one of the five that the project held. The other four covered bioeconomy education, social aspects of bioeconomy, value chains and financing. The results of the workshops will be used to achieve the goals of the BIO2REG project, the aim of which is to facilitate the green transformation of industrial areas that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases. For more information about BIO2REG you can visit project webpage and website of the project. BIO2REG is a three-year e-project and there are 9 participants from all over Europe. BIO2REG is a coordination and support project (CSA) funded by the European Union.

News

Natalie's annual meeting in Gran Canaria

On the 14th-16th October, all 43 participants of the European project met Natalie in Las Palmas on Gran Canaria to discuss the progress of the project in the first year and the next steps. The participants also had the opportunity to meet in person, many of them for the first time. The project brings together 43 companies and organizations from across Europe with the aim of developing nature-based solutions that increase the resilience of regions against the effects of climate change. The project lasts for five years and is funded by the Horizon program of the European Union.

Around 100 people participated in the meeting and representatives of most of the partners were present, along with stakeholders in the region and other stakeholders. The discussions at the meeting included the following:

Status of the project after the first year

The project involves many participants in different countries where the needs are diverse. Reviewing the situation together gave them the opportunity to gain an insight into what is going on elsewhere in Europe. Each research area updated partners on what had gone well and what the main challenges had been over the past year. 

The study area of Gran Canaria visited. The picture shows a constructed wetland with a measuring device.
Contributors section of CS7. From left: Annar Berg Samúelsdóttir (Matís), Tinna Halldórsdóttir (Austurbrú), Gabríel Arnarsson (Austurbrú), Katrín Hulda Gunnarsdóttir (Matís) and Jess Penny (University of Exeter).

Preparing for the next workshop

An important aspect of the project is to connect with stakeholders in the area, and four workshops are held for this purpose. The first one has already taken place, but the meeting discussed how it would be most efficient to hold the next one.

Next steps

At the end of the meeting, the participants had the opportunity to sit down and plan the next steps. In such an extensive project, there are many aspects that need to be looked at, so it is important that everyone is on the same page.

In addition, a field visit was made to one of the research areas, where the participants got a good idea of the real impact of implementing a nature-based solution on the local environment. After long, but successful meeting days, Matís' representatives enter the next year of the project full of anticipation.

About the project

Natalie's project concerns the development of nature-based solutions that increase the resilience of regions against climate change. Austurland was chosen as the seventh research area (CS7) of the project and the participants in CS7 are Matís, Austurbrú, University of Tromsø and University of Exeter. More information can be found at project website.

Natalie Leaflet (PDF)

News

How do we make the food system of the future more sustainable?

An international conference on neoproteins for food and feed will be held in Berlin on the 3rd-5th. next december Matís is one of the organizers of the conference, which is an important forum where ways are sought to promote sustainable agricultural practices and food systems, which covers production and consumption, in a holistic way and integrates innovation and environmental protection.

Food and feed systems around the world face the challenges of ensuring food security and nutrition for all the world's population, while at the same time needing to secure the livelihoods of farmers and other stakeholders in the food chain and maintain a sustainable environment.

Alternative proteins such as insects, mushrooms, algae and microbes fill the gap of sustainable, nutritious and safe food in the future.

The conference will discuss sustainable neoproteins and explore how they can transform existing food systems. The focus is on safety and nutrition, as well as consumer perception and economic fundamentals.

As mentioned earlier, the conference will take place in Berlin on the 3rd-5th. December 2024, but the conference can also be attended online, so you can participate wherever you are.

The organizers of the conference are:

  • German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung, BfR)
  • European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
  • US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Singapore Food Agency (SFA)
  • Matís ohf.

More information and registration can be found here.

News

Doctoral defense in food science – Anna Þóra Hrólfsdóttir

Next Friday, November 1, Anna Þóra Hrólfsdóttir will defend her doctoral thesis in food science at the University of Iceland in collaboration with Matís. The thesis is entitled: Improved utilization, preservation and quality of brown algae.

The doctoral defense will take place in the Banquet Hall of the University of Iceland's Main Building from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Opponents will be dr. Susan Løvstad Holdt, associate professor at the Food Institute of the Danish University of Technology, DTU, and dr. Marthe Jordbrekk Blikra, researcher at the Norwegian food research institute Nofima.

The supervising teacher is María Guðjónsdóttir, and her supervisors are Hildur Inga Sveinsdóttir, assistant professor and expert at Matís, and Sigurjón Arason, professor emeritus and expert at Matís. In addition to them, Ólafur Eysteinn Sigurjónsson, professor, sits on the doctoral committee.

Ólöf Guðný Geirsdóttir, professor and president of the Department of Food and Nutrition, presides over the ceremony, which takes place in the University of Iceland's Festival Hall and starts at 9.00 am.

The following abstract of the essay:
Despite the enormous increase in macroalgae production in recent decades, they are still a relatively underutilized resource in Europe. However, interest in macroalgae has increased significantly in Europe in recent years and it has been predicted that production could increase enormously in the coming decades. With the increased production of macroalgae, it is important to fully utilize, preserve and handle the biomass in an appropriate way to maximize the quality of the product. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate and improve the value chains of selected brown algae, with an emphasis on the full utilization of raw materials in the production of flour from kelp, the preservation and shelf life of cultured kelp and marin core, and to evaluate the use of multispectral imaging technology (MSI) to assess the quality of macroalgae within the industry. The results of the study show opportunities in increasing the value of macroalgae through improved production processes. Furthermore, the results suggest that acidification may be suitable as a preservation method for cultured brown algae and that MSI may be used for industrial quality assessment of macroalgae.

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